Each community is encouraged to go beyond the minimum required elements specified in the Local Planning Standards and supplement its comprehensive plan with other optional plan elements (such as those suggested here) to make the overall plan the best possible fit for the community.

It is important to identify and involve stakeholders (supporters and opponents alike) at the outset of the planning process. Those who are invited to participate or are involved from the beginning are more likely to support implementation of the plan, and less likely to undermine the planning process at a later time.

A number of techniques are available to engage the public in the planning process. This document offers a variety of community participation techniques that take into consideration a community’s budget, schedule, and target audience. Be creative in designing your program and keep in mind that a combination of techniques can be used to reach the largest audience.

This list of typical needs and opportunities is intended to prompt thinking of what the community needs to address in the comprehensive plan. The needs are presented in a general manner and should be edited to address the specific situation in your community. Also note that any of these can easily be restated in a positive way—as an opportunity—if desired.

Use this list of typical character areas to prompt thinking about the character of your community and to help identify both existing and potential character areas in your community. Character area planning focuses on the way an area looks and how it functions, instead of only existing land use. You are encouraged to create additional character areas, or modify these, to fit your community goals.

Community development patterns are about how the location and bulk of buildings, intensity of use, streets, parking, open space and public facilities look and work together. These suggested development patterns can be employed create safe, walkable, economically-viable communities.

Now that you have developed your Community Goals and identified important local Needs and Opportunities, its time to focus on Implementation! It’s the critical step necessary to make planning tangible. Pick from this listing of best implementation practices and include in your Community Work Program to help translate the local plan into action.

The 10 objectives outlined in the QCOs are adapted from generally accepted community development principles to fit
the unique qualities of Georgia’s communities. Although these are only recommendations, the Board of the Department of Community Affairs has adopted them as guidance for local governments. The Department is
convinced that pursuit of these principles fosters greater governmental efficiency, cost savings to communities, and a
higher quality of life for Georgia citizens.